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Sony A7R DxO Mark matches Nikon D800E

As more details of the Sony A7s emerge I am becoming more and more impressed. Today the DxO Mark results were published. The 36MP A7r sensor gets a score of 95, just one point below the Nikon D800E which probably houses a near identical sensor.

Ugly ducking it may be, but the high-performance A7r is shaping up be more than a match for Leica's traditional M, a camera which has had the mirrorless full=frame market to itself for over five years. With Leica lenses mounted, as Steve Huff has proved, the A7r is the equal, if not the better of Leica's flagship body. And it is one third of the price.

Leica purists will cling to the M, of course, and I certainly have a high regard for the German camera. There will always be people willing to pay over the odds for quality and the sort of after-sales service Leica provides. There is also an atmosphere of fellowship among Leica owners who tend to get sucked in to forums and owner clubs; this is something that does not exist in the same form with other marques. It is hard to put a value on this sense of belonging which reinforces the desire to stay pure.

But there is a big caveat. This holds good only as long as competing cameras do not offer significantly better results, something that remains to be seen when we can compare both cameras side by side. If the A7r can knock the socks of the M then Leica should worry. Technology and mass production is catching up on craftsmanship.